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#ScholarFest | June 10-11, 2015A Convergence of Scholarly Minds on Capitol Hill - Hosted by The John W. Kluge Center

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of The John W. Kluge Center, the Center hosts the first-ever #ScholarFest, a unique mixture of rapid-fire dialogues, panels and scholarly conversations on Capitol Hill. Read news release

About #ScholarFest

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of The John W. Kluge Center, the Kluge Center hosts the first-ever #ScholarFest, a unique mixture of rapid-fire dialogues, panels and scholarly conversations on a series of thought-provoking topics.

More than 70 top scholars in the humanities and social sciences–all former residents at the Kluge Center–will convene on Capitol Hill for a series of scholarly conversations on matters of importance to academia, the policy community, and the general public. In addition, two previous recipients of the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity will be in dialogue together for the first time as part of an evening gala event.

At the heart of #ScholarFest are “lightning conversations”, a format that features senior scholars in discussion with younger scholars around large, universal ideas in quick-hitting 10-minute intervals. Themes include:

Future definitions of life

The ways we write history

Personal and cultural identities in a post-modern world

Concepts of ethics and morality

Notions of world order

The format embodies the core ethos of the Center, namely to foster cross-disciplinary scholarship across multiple generations.

About The John W. Kluge Center

The John W. Kluge Center was founded in 2000 in order to foster the mutually enriching relationship between scholars and political leaders. The Kluge Center attracts to Washington the best available minds in the scholarly world, facilitates their access to the Library's remarkable collection of the world's knowledge, and engages them in conversation with the U.S. Congress and other public figures. The Center welcomes senior scholars as Kluge Chairholders, the occupants of which are scholars of great scholarly accomplishment and promising post-graduate scholars in the early years of their careers. Read more about the founding and history of the Center here.

Join the conversation: #ScholarFest

Evening Gala

Wednesday June 10, 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. - by invitation only

The Great Hall, First Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress

Featuring

6:00 p.m.

Opening Reception

6:45 p.m.

Welcome - Dr. Billington, Librarian of Congress

7:00 p.m.

Evening plenary:

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 2012 Kluge Prize recipient

Romila Thapar, 2008 Kluge Prize recipient

James H. Billington, U.S. Librarian of Congress

Moderated by Dr. Jane McAuliffe, Director of The John W. Kluge Center

8:00 p.m.

Dinner

9:30 p.m.

Conclude

Join the conversation: #ScholarFest

Full-Day Symposium

Thursday June 11, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - free and open to the public

Various Locations, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress

9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (Simultaneous Sessions)

SESSION 1 – Lightning Conversations – Room LJ-119

THEME: “LIFE: FUTURE – DEFINITIONS OF LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY & BEYOND”